English for Specific Purposes | Dr.

Misbah Afsheen Khan

The Islamia University of Bahawalpur

G. Introduction:

ESP, or English for Specific Purposes, refers to the teaching and learning of English that is
tailored to meet the needs of a specific group of learners. In order to effectively teach ESP, a
needs analysis must be conducted to identify the specific language needs of the learners.

A needs analysis is a process of collecting and analyzing information about the learners'
language needs, including their communicative goals, the tasks they will need to perform, and
the language skills they will need to develop. The purpose of a needs analysis in ESP is to
identify the language and communication skills that the learners need to acquire in order to be
successful in their specific field or profession.

For example, if the learners are engineers, the needs analysis might reveal that they need to be
able to read technical manuals and reports in English, write emails and reports, give
presentations, and participate in meetings with international colleagues. Based on this
information, the ESP teacher can design a course that is tailored to the specific language needs
of the learners.

The needs analysis process typically involves a variety of data collection methods, such as
surveys, interviews, focus groups, and analysis of job descriptions and industry-specific
documents. Once the data has been collected and analyzed, the ESP teacher can use the results
to design a course that is relevant, engaging, and effective for the learners.

In summary, a needs analysis is an essential part of the ESP teaching process, as it enables the
teacher to identify the specific language and communication skills that the learners need to
acquire in order to be successful in their field or profession.

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 English for Specific Purposes | Dr. Misbah Afsheen Khan

Course Title: Course Instructor:

H. Needs Analysis Frameworks

There have been several needs analysis frameworks proposed by researchers over the years.
Here are a few examples:
1. Hutchinson and Waters' framework: Hutchinson and Waters (1987) proposed a
framework for needs analysis that includes four stages: target situation analysis, present
situation analysis, evaluation of the discrepancy, and specification of learning
objectives. This framework emphasizes the importance of analyzing both the learners'
target situation (i.e., the language situation they will be using the language in) and their
present situation (i.e., their current level of proficiency and language needs).
2. Munby's communicative needs analysis: Munby (1978) proposed a communicative
needs analysis framework that focuses on identifying the communicative functions that
learners need to perform in their specific context. This framework emphasizes the
importance of analyzing the learners' communicative goals and the language functions
that they will need to use in order to achieve these goals.
3. Berwick's critical needs analysis: Berwick (1989) proposed a critical needs analysis
framework that emphasizes the importance of analyzing the learners' social and
political context. This framework encourages needs analysts to consider the broader
social and political factors that may be affecting the learners' language needs, such as
economic inequality or discrimination.
4. Dudley-Evans and St. John's framework: Dudley-Evans and St. John (1998) proposed
a framework for needs analysis in ESP that includes three stages: target situation
analysis, learning needs analysis, and present situation analysis. This framework
emphasizes the importance of analyzing both the learners' target situation and their
present situation, as well as identifying the specific language and communication skills
that they will need to acquire in order to be successful in their field or profession.
5. Robinson's ESP genre analysis: Robinson (1991) proposed an ESP genre analysis
framework that focuses on identifying the genres or types of discourse that learners will

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 English for Specific Purposes | Dr. Misbah Afsheen Khan

need to produce in their specific context. This framework emphasizes the importance
of analyzing the communicative purposes and rhetorical features of different genres,
such as technical reports or business letters.
6. Long's task-based needs analysis: Long (2005) proposed a task-based needs analysis
framework that focuses on identifying the language tasks that learners will need to
perform in their specific context. This framework emphasizes the importance of
analyzing the learners' specific language needs in relation to the tasks they will need to
perform in their field or profession.
7. Basturkmen's genre-based needs analysis: Basturkmen (2010) proposed a genre-based
needs analysis framework that focuses on identifying the specific genres or types of
discourse that learners will need to produce in their field or profession. This framework
involves analyzing the communicative purposes and rhetorical features of different
genres, as well as the language skills required to produce those genres. The framework
also involves identifying the language resources that learners will need to successfully
produce those genres.
8. Anthony's sustainable needs analysis: Anthony (2018) proposed a sustainable needs
analysis framework that emphasizes the importance of conducting ongoing needs
analysis throughout the course of instruction. This framework involves regularly
assessing the learners' language and communication needs, as well as their progress
towards achieving their goals. The framework also involves evaluating the
effectiveness of the instructional materials and methods being used, and making
adjustments as needed to better meet learners' needs.
Overall, these frameworks illustrate the diverse approaches to needs analysis that have been
proposed by researchers over the years. While there is no one-size-fits-all approach to needs
analysis, these frameworks can serve as useful starting points for identifying and analyzing
learners' language needs in specific contexts.

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